Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Graven on His Unchanging Hands

We should feed and nourish our souls with high notions of God, which would yield us great joy in being devoted to Him...whether He lead us by suffering or by consolation, for all would be equal to a soul truly resigned. (Brother Lawrence) I read this last night and it has just stuck to me. I can't shake it.

"All would be equal"…

The truth of this is, as it seems to me, is that suffering and blessing come from the same hand - the hand of God, who is good and does good always. He changes not, so He cannot do anything other than good…even if it looks bad in the moment. So the real problem any time we struggle with some circumstance or loss or denial is that we are not truly resigned; we are, in effect, saying "No, Lord." And those two words can never be said together without contradiction. If it's "No" He's not Lord, and if He's Lord, we can't say "No."

Father, help us to say YES to whatever and KNOW that all things come from Your unchanging hand, which was pierced for us, the same hand upon which we are "graven"! For your glory and your name's sake...amen!

2 comments:

I agree that everything that comes our way is meant for good. In fact, often God's greatest blessings come by way of trials, but because they are often, to use F B Meyer's words, delivered in rough packing cases, they are not recognized as such.

I love what Samuel Rutherford said in this regard as he was suffering banishment in Aberdeen:

"I cannot but write to my friends, that Christ has (placed me at at this specific time and place) in Aberdeen; and my adversaries have sent me here to be feasted with love banquets with my royal, high, high, and princely King Jesus. Madam, why should I smother Christ's honesty? I dare not conceal His goodness to my soul; He looked fremed (foreign) and unco-like (strange and uncommon) upon me when I came first here; but I believe Himself better than His looks. God forgive them that raise an ill report upon the sweet cross of Christ. It is but our weak and dim eyes, and our looking only to the black side that makes us mistake.... Those who can take that crabbed tree handsomely upon their back, and fasten it on cannily, shall find it such a burden as wings unto a bird, or sails to a ship."

In all things God is working for good. He promised it; we need to believe it. Then we'll experience it too!